Seahawks Daily Top 10: Denver pretty excited for Super Bowl rematch

Time for the 10 on what is the first gameday of the season, preseason or not

1, And you’d hardly know it’s the preseason by looking at this morning’s Denver Post, which has a big teaser headline at the top of the front page with a large quote saying “It Matters” next to a picture of Richard Sherman and a paragraph stating that the game tonight “means something” to Broncos players.

And then the top half of the front of the sports section is taken up entirely with the headline and picture below:

“Oh, yeah, it matters. It matters to the city, to the team. That was the last team we played, and we know what happened. It’s a team where you can see where you are at, and if you made some improvements. I expect it to be a little more aggressive because of the Super Bowl and the fact that they have been talking a lot during the offseason.”

2, Here’s my preview of tonight’s game focusing on some key position battles to watch.

3, Jayson Jenks, meanwhile, looks at how new rules changes could impact the Seahawks. The Denver Post also has a take on the new rules.

4, A new book relives the Seahawks’ 2013 season from a fan’s perspective.

5, The Seahawks remain a 2-point favorite in the game, with the over-under set at 37. The Seahawks have won nine preseason games in a row, all by a touchdown or more, so they have been one of the best bets imaginable in preseason games during the Pete Carroll era.

VegasInsider’s advice for tonight, though, is to take the under, weriting:

“Seattle’s offense scored a bunch of points in last year’s pre-season schedule (30 PPG), but they were breaking in Russell Wilson at QB and he picked up a lot of playing time. That won’t be the case this year. They know what Wilson can do so look for him to only be in for a series or two. The Bronco defense will be focused in here after allowing 43 points in the Super Bowl and we expect a big effort on that side of the ball. Look for a defensive battle with neither team revealing much offensively here. Take the under.”

“The biggest offensive adjustment the Broncos made after getting whipped by the Seahawks’ defense in the Super Bowl was to alter 60 percent of their offensive line.

Ryan Clady is back at left tackle instead of Chris Clark. Orlando Franklin is at left guard instead of Zane Beadles. Clark is at right tackle instead of Franklin.

This is a significant adjustment that hasn’t been talked about enough because there is always something more interesting to talk about than offensive linemen.

But the primary strategy against the Seahawks this year is to execute the first snap of the game. In other words, don’t get carried away tinkering with an NFL-record offense because of one, miserable game. That opening-play safety was a Super Bowl turning point. Get off the first snap, and the Broncos will take their chances.

The Seahawks’ defense was impressive last year, but let’s not compare it to the ’85 Bears or 2000 Ravens.”

10, MondayMorningQuarterback’s Robert Klemko with a nice story on Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, in which he also speculates that Rocky Seto would take over as DC if Quinn were to leave after this season.

11, Finally, since it’s a gameday, we’ll go all-Spinal Tap and go to 11 and offer a few last Tweets:

In this life you are only granted so many opportunities, only so many chances.